


The Curse of Caring for Others

by Creweemmaeec11



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Fluff, Other, Phoenixes, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Witch Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creweemmaeec11/pseuds/Creweemmaeec11
Summary: Virgil may care about his friend Patton, but he certainly doesn't care about the village Patton comes from, the same one that cast him out and turned their backs on him just for being a witch.When the village is in trouble and Patton begs him for help, Virgil agrees, for Patton only, of course. He didn't care about anyone else.Just because Virgil ends up saving the entire village doesn't mean he cares! ...right?
Comments: 18
Kudos: 59





	The Curse of Caring for Others

The smell of freshly steamed herbal tea danced through the air, settling into every nook and cranny of the small wooden cabin. The scent swirled with the maple wood of the walls and charcoal crackling in the hearth, combining into a scent Virgil would simply describe as 'home.' The first shafts of sunlight streamed in between the curtains as the witch poured his second cup of tea this morning. He could hear a menagerie of different birds singing and chirping outside.   
  
He finished his breakfast and slipped his dark grey cloak over his shoulders, flipping the hood up onto his head before heading out in the crisp morning air. The scent of fresh rain replaced the herbal tea in his nose and the crackling fire twisted to the rustling of leaves in the breeze.   
  
He spent the morning like all his others, feeding his chickens and gathering their eggs until moving onto his gardens. He had finished with the herb garden and was now knelt down in the vegetable garden pulling weeds when he heard a noise behind him. He glanced up to see a familiar, bubbly, brightly smiling face looking back at him.   
  
"Good morning, kiddo!" the man chirped happily. He wore a light sky-blue long sleeve shirt under his sandy coloured tunic vest. His soft brown curls bounced in the wind as he smiled at the witch.   
  
"Mornin' Patton," Virgil replied with a smile, removing one last weed before standing to face the baker and dusting the dirt off his hands.   
  
"How's it going? You're here earlier than usual."   
  
"Oh, come on! I'm only here a couple of minutes early! I just wanted to see you!" The baker protested playfully, swinging the large wicker basket in his hands.   
  
"Mmhmm... and?" Virgil replied, raising an eyebrow and high-stepping over some plants, making his way out of the garden to meet the baker at the entrance.   
  
Patton pouted, putting on a mock frown before his face shifted into a sheepish expression, "I've got a new recipe of apple cinnamon pumpkin muffins for you to try."   
  
Virgil laughed as he arrived in front of the other.   
  
"You're not going anywhere near my pastries with hands like that, you rabid animal!" the baker cried when the witch reached out for the basket, recoiling out of his reach and causing Virgil to laugh even harder.   
  
"Okay, okay, come on in; I just made some herbal caramel tea, your favourite," He replied, gesturing for Patton to follow him as he made his way into the cottage.   
  
He flung the door open and made his way over to the kitchenette; once Patton had followed him in, he waved his hand in the door's direction, causing it to close behind his guest.   
  
"How're your chickens doing? Stella was sick last week, wasn't she?" the baker asked as he sat down at the sturdy handmade wooden table, watching the witch wash his hands in the sink.   
  
"Yeah, all she needed was a healing potion, and she was good as new." the other replied, drying his hands and sitting down across the table.   
  
"Oh, that's great news then!"   
  
They fell into an awkward silence, and Virgil narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The pair of them rarely had trouble holding a conversation. They only saw each other once a week, and while he wasn't much of a talker himself, the baker was. In fact, the juxtaposition between the two friends was pretty staggering, as they were almost opposites in many ways. Patton's bubbly, open, friendly and talkative personality was a stark contrast to Virgil's cold, anxious and quiet persona.   
  
Yet here they were, sitting in awkward silence. Which meant something was off.   
  
"What's wrong, Patton?" Vigil asked as he reached into the basket to take a muffin.   
  
"Hmm? Oh, nothing!"   
  
Virgil simply raised an unimpressed eyebrow. They had a stare-off for a moment before Patton finally caved.   
  
"Okay fine, it's just back at the village...."   
  
"Hmm?" the witch hummed, unable to talk due to his mouth being full of the most delicious muffin he had ever had.   
  
"Well, you know how superstitious the villagers can be. They said the western cave was haunted, turned out the 'screams' they heard were just the whistling of the wind blowing through it. Ya know?"   
  
"Have they found something else to label as cursed or something stupid?" Virgil asked before taking another bite of his muffin.   
  
"No, I think they are right this time. Something weird is happening in the village."   
  
"What does all this have to do with me?" the witch mumbled, mouth half full.   
  
"I was hoping you could help figure out what was happening..."   
  
Suddenly the witch almost choked, coughing and sputtering for a moment before catching his breath. "W-what?!"   
  
"I know I know, but-"   
  
The witch waved his hands half hazard-ly in the air, "Whoa whoa, okay, Pat listen, you know I love you. You're like family to me; if you need help, snap your fingers, and I'm there-"   
  
The baker smiled at his kind words and hearing his nickname.   
  
"BUT why the heck would I help a village who cast me out because I revealed myself as a witch JUST so I could offer to help heal their prized cow? They are lucky it lived at all without my help; I'm shocked the poor thing only went blind!"   
  
"I know, I know," Patton replied, holding his hands to say 'enough' "But I really think something is seriously wrong. I know the village was a jerk to you, but it's also my village, Vee, and we need help. I need help. Please?"   
  
With the puppy dog eyes he was now getting combined with the use of his own nickname, Virgil knew he was done. He groaned, flopping back into his chair in exasperation, looking up at the ceiling. He could hear the baker giggling in victory. With one more dramatic sigh, he looked back up.   
  
"I'm doing this for you," Virgil said flatly, pointing a finger at the other. "Only you," the witch emphasized when the baker giggled.   
  
"Of course," Patton replied with an amused smile.   
  
"I mean it," Virgil pushed, "I don't care about anyone else,"   
  
He was not about to be caught dead, caring about a village who turned their backs on him.   
  
"Of course, I know, you have a stone-cold uncaring heart. I know all about it," The baker replied sarcastically with a laugh and a roll of his eyes, "You're so big and scary."   
  
The witch just pouted and crossed his arms but knew it was as good as he was going to get, "You also owe me two more batches of these muffins."   
  
"Deal!"   
  
  
  
That was how the witch got here; following Patton through the village while under an invisibility spell so no one could see him.   
  
"The first thing that happened was a bunch of crops randomly dried out and shrivelled up overnight. They were perfectly healthy the day before."   
  
"Hmm..." Virgil hummed in thought quietly. He could admit that was weird.   
  
"Then, one of the pigs disappeared. Just vanished overnight!"   
  
"That could easily be wolves," Virgil argued.   
  
"But there was no evidence of wolves!" The baker countered. "Either way, the weirdest thing happened last night; we woke up to these huge scorch marks in the town square," Patton explained, pointing to the ground ahead of them as they walked into the market.   
  
Wait...   
  
"Oh, no..." Virgil muttered quietly as he connected the dots,   
  
"What?"   
  
"How the heck did the village manage to piss off a-"   
  
Suddenly, there was an ear-piercing screech above them. It sounded like an enormous eagle mixed with some kind of flute.   
  
"-a PHOENIX!"   
  
Suddenly there was an eruption of screams as everyone ran to get away from the enormous flaming bird. People were tripping and stumbling over each other like a stampede of horses.   
  
"FIONA!"   
  
The witch heard someone shout and looked to see a man pinned under a huge market stall that had fallen over in the ensuing scuffle. He was reaching out in front of him as if trying to get something. The witch followed his hand, and his eyes landed on a little girl with rich, mahogany coloured hair lying on the ground. Her light pink dress was covered in dirt and looked like she had been trampled in the panic of everyone else getting away. Luckily other than a few small cuts, she didn't look badly injured.   
  
The darkness that Virgil hadn't realized they had been thrown into began receding. The shadow of the enormous beast shrinking as it came down. Two monstrous feet with razor-sharp talons collided with the earth, kicking up a cloud of dust around their owner. The creature looked like an elephant-sized eagle, and every feather on its body was its own scorching hot flame.   
  
It loomed over the poor girl, standing only a few feet in front of her like a giant torch.   
  
"FIONA!!!!"   
  
The phoenix screeched and suddenly opened its mouth, launching a whirlwind of fire at her and obscuring the entire scene in black smoke.   
  
The villagers all fell silent, watching the smoke settle with a horrible dread of what it would reveal.   
  
Multiple gasps came from the crowd as the smog settled.   
  
Virgil's silhouette appeared and stood in front of Fiona; both arms braced in the air towards the creature. A shield of purple magic surrounded both of them, leaving them both completely unharmed.   
  
The witch lowered his shields and looked over his shoulder, glancing at the girl to know she was okay before turning back to the creature. He lowered his arms and stood up straight. He could feel the heat on his face and body from being this close to it.   
  
"That's enough." He demanded, voice strict and commanding, leaving no room for argument while he locked eyes with the beast in front of him.   
  
The bird screeched, flaring it's wings and slicing through the earth below it with one of it's feet, clawing at it angrily.   
  
"I know; their hunters were getting too close to your nest, weren't they?" he replied in a more sympathetic but not condescending tone, holding up his hands to show he wasn't a threat.   
  
The phoenix tilted its head and let out another softer sounding call.   
  
"Yeah, and they ignored all your warnings, didn't they?"   
  
Another caw.   
  
"Yeah, but the thing is, this village doesn't hunt. They had no idea your nest was there. Those weapons you saw them with? Those were axes; they are used to chop down trees. That's what they build all these houses out of," The witch explained, gesturing around. Suddenly, he felt something grab his waist. His eye's flicked down to see two small arms wrapped around him, a little head with two emerald eyes peeking out from behind him.   
  
Suddenly, the bright reddish-orange flames seemed to flicker out, each flame revealing its own gorgeous red, orange and yellow feather beneath it. The air around Virgil immediately felt cooler; his skin no longer feeling hot.   
  
It cawed again, tilting its head the other way.   
  
"There we go," Virgil replied with a small smile, extending his hands when the giant head bent down towards him. He put one hand under its head while the other pet the top, smoothing down the feathers gently. "I'll tell them to steer clear of your nest, okay?"   
  
The giant creature only responded with a huff of air, causing smoke to shoot out of its nostrils and into Virgil's face, who responded with a laugh.   
  
"That's very generous of you. I'll let them know." He replied with a smile, letting go of the beast's head as it stood back up. It stopped halfway, tilting its head to the side as it seemed to notice the child that was still clung to Virgil for the first time.   
  
Their gazes met for a moment before the phoenix let out a soft chirp and raised one of its wings. Virgil felt the arms around his waist tighten as they watched it put its head back, like a chicken cleaning its wings, and return with a single feather in its mouth. It leaned back down, giving the new item to Virgil, who smiled.   
  
The witch looked down at Fiona and twisted in her hold slightly to tuck the feather behind her ear, "She says she apologizes for trying to burn you." He translated, smile still plastered on his face.   
  
Her eyes seemed to light up like stars as she looked between the two of them and nervously unwrapped herself from the witch. Instead, she gripped his coat tightly in one hand and took a small brave step forward, only half hiding behind him and extended her other hand out towards the large bird shakily.   
  
The phoenix let out a small chirp before leaning back down and gently meeting the girl's palm with the tip of her beak. Fiona let out a gasp, which caused Virgil to giggle slightly, resting his hand on her shoulder blade reassuringly.   
  
The phoenix pulled its head back, standing up straight again. It made a small bow of its head toward the witch, who nodded in return before spreading its enormous wings and leaping into the air. The force of the take-off sent a whirlwind of dust up into the air around them.   
  
The witch closed his eyes and coughed while he flapped his hands at the air around him, attempting to disperse the dust. When he opened them again, Fiona was still clinging to his cloak, but now another familiar face stood in front of him.   
  
"You only care about me, huh?" Patton teased with a sly yet happy smile and raised eyebrow, looking between the two of them.   
  
"Sh-shut up," Virgil muttered, face red with embarrassment, "She's different; she's a kid."   
  
Suddenly the kid in question tugged on his cloak and pointed at the man who was still stuck under the large stall. A few villagers were attempting to help, but they weren't making much of a difference.   
  
The witch's eyes began glowing, and villagers stumbled backwards as purple smoke began swirling around the stall, lifting it into the air and setting it up-right again. The witch felt his skin crawling with all the eyes that were watching him, the eyes of people who weren't supposed to even know he was here!   
  
"Daddy!" Fiona cried, taking off toward him as he got to his feet.   
  
"Is he a kid too?" Patton teased, walking up behind him with his arms crossed to nudge the witch's shoulder playfully.   
  
Virgil gave a mock glare at the baker, blushing again and rolling his eyes when the baker started giggling.   
  
"What?" The witch asked in an offended tone, "You weren't expecting me to just leave him pinned under there?"   
  
"Of course I wouldn't!" Patton replied, before an irritatingly knowing look settled on his face, "It's you who would have expected you to do that,"   
  
Something in Virgil's stomach flipped at the realization the baker was right. Underneath, he knew he wouldn't just walk away from someone who needed help; he wasn't heartless after all. But that didn't mean he cared! ...right?   
  
Once the man had gotten to his feet, Virgil approached, though he made sure to keep a few feet between them.   
  
"You good?" He asked, crossing his arms and trying to appear completely neutral and aloof, as if doing so would help draw less attention to himself, despite that he had all the attention already.   
  
"Y-yes, thank you. Thank you for-."   
  
"If I remember correctly, you're the head of the logging team, right?" the witch interrupted, uninterested in prolonging this conversation any more than necessary. He wasn't supposed to be here.   
  
"Y-yes, sir."   
  
"She said because you aren't hunters, your welcome to go as far as the north river, but not across it."   
  
"Understood. T-thank you again."   
  
The witch made a shooing motion with his hands, "Doesn't matter, it's not a big deal. I shouldn't even be here anyway," He dismissed.   
  
"That is correct. You shouldn't be here. Yet here you are nevertheless," A new voice spoke. Virgil whirled around to meet eyes with the Village leader, who stood before them with his hands clasped behind his back. "And on top of that, despite the history between us, you aided us. I would have to disagree with you and say that is, in fact, a big deal."   
  
"Look, I don't want any trouble-" the witch started, holding up his hands in a peaceful gesture and taking a step back, but the leader cut him off with a small chuckle and shake of his head.   
  
"You misunderstand my intentions," He replied with a smile, "I would like to thank you for your actions today and apologize for our previous ones. We were wrong about you. Had you not been here today, I've little doubt our village would be ash right now. I am very sorry for my role in your banishment and would like you to know from now on you will be a welcome visitor here."   
  
"Yay!" Fiona cheered before the witch could even reply, running up to and throwing her arms around him, nearly knocking them both over in the process. "You'll come to visit, right? Can you teach me how to talk to a phoenix? Wait-" she gasped, eyes lighting up, "Can you speak to any other animals!? What about-"   
  
Maybe, just maybe, Virgil thought to himself, a small smile creeping onto his face; caring about the village wouldn't be so bad after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> It's done!!! Here is the little short story you guys were promised that I wrote for English, I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think in the comments! 
> 
> From those of you who are here from "Just a Touch of Necromancy", the next chapter *should* be up tomorrow, depending on if I can push myself to write, basically the entire chapter tonight XD ugh, we'll see, drop some motivation in the comments for me lol! 
> 
> Love you guys! <3


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